While I'd definitely like a draft guide as it would save me some time and I loved last year's draft guide, if you're playing offline CFM, all you really need to do is save your scouting points until the offseason phase right before the draft and save your game.

Then scout until you run out of points, make a note of the player's you'd like to draft, and reload when you run out of points. Rinse and repeat until you've scouted all the positions you have a need for.

If you do go this route, I'd advise against scouting the development trait, as it's no longer as important as it was last year. It's easy enough to draft a player with great physical attributes and get him enough XP to purchase the superstar development trait in about a season and a half just from the XP you get from practicing every week.

I've used the guides before and like others have mentioned it totally drains the enjoyment as well as the realism from the franchise experience. I can't tell you how many times I have restarted a franchise, drafted, rebuilt the roster, drafted a few more times just to put so much into it to lost interest once I see how unrealistic my leagues rosters become.

Instead of the guides, and to keep my interest, I either scout one of two ways depending on what I am looking for at each position. Pretty straight forward. If I am in need of an immediate starter, age isn't that big of a factor as you obviously are looking for the intangibles related to that position for the player to be a factor. If it's not that much of a need and I have an extra pick or two I like to add some younger guys in the mix. Ok I lie, I go for youth in most all cases lol. But like I said, a need is a need and you cant always be so picky.

If I can find those 20 year old rookies in my key positions (RB, WR, LB & DB) with blazing speed and acceleration (the costliest to upgrade) and mediocre stats otherwise easy to upgrade, you can user and focus on him during games to develop him quickly. With 2000 each week in practice points as well as weekly performance reward points it takes little time to up their other stats.

Next year (if progressed correctly) you'll have a 21 year old stud in the making rated in the 80-90 overall range whom you will obviously rather resign in the end vs drafting a 23-24+ year old rookie who will start to peak at the end of their initial contract but ask for a 4-6 year extension when they're 27-28 years old only to become glorified back ups whose stats start to decline at 30 taking up a chunk of cap space.

Hope that makes sense. Just an idea of my own preference and strategy. I obviously prefer speed & youth. But there's nothing like finding the perfect mix of youth and experienced vets to compliment one another in the depth chart or sub packages. Just gotta find what works for you.